Adelphi, Maryland (CNN) – Nine-figure commitments from America’s leading technology and telecommunications firms will help U.S. students compete with their counterparts in nations with more technologically advanced schools, President Barack Obama said on Tuesday.

The commitments from Verizon, Sprint and other major companies come in the form of services and devices, including $100 million worth of iPads and laptop computers from Apple Inc., the California-based tech giant.

The Republican senator from Kentucky and possible 2016 presidential candidate on Wednesday joined Snapchat, the photo sharing app that allows users to send pictures and video to each other that disappears shortly after being viewed.

In his first Snap – a video sent Wednesday afternoon – Paul said, "Hey guys, thanks for following me on Snapchat. I look forward to seeing you real soon."

Washington (CNN) - A ban on the sale of some Apple products - including iPhones and iPads - will not go into effect after President Barack Obama’s administration stepped in Saturday, a day before the prohibition was to go into effect.

Ambassador Michael Froman, the U.S. trade representative, overturned a June decision of the U.S. International Trade Commission – which, according to its website, is an “independent, quasijudicial federal agency” that investigates trade issues - that certain Apple products designed for the AT&T network could not be imported to or sold in the United States.FULL POST

(CNN) - Even as the head of the Young Republicans at Samford University, Weathers Veazey didn't have a lot of time for politics this primary season.

Immersed in tough pre-law classes at the conservative Baptist university in Birmingham, Alabama, she barely paid attention to the nonstop political ads that ran on TV during the state's presidential primary.

Aspen, Colorado (CNN) - Craig Newmark, a self-described "nerd," has found a pretty nerdy issue on Capitol Hill and is seeing bipartisan support: transparency in government through technology.

Newmark, who founded the popular website Craigslist, is now the company's customer service representative and a board member of the Sunlight Foundation, which focuses on transparency in government.

"A democracy needs informed citizens to survive, and that requires accurate information on political matters," Newmark told CNN after a discussion on technology and government transparency with America's Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra at the Aspen Ideas Festival.